Witches Hats and Photo Ops
by teammccord
Summary: Halloween is upon us, and the McCords (and the State Department).


_'Tis the season … for Halloween? So this popped in my head and I kind of ran with it, I hope it reads okay. In all honesty, it makes no sense at all. Also, let's assume for the purposes of the one-shot that Halloween is taking place mid-week. Enjoy, and please leave me comments! Happy Halloween!_

* * *

"And this is a good idea because…?" Elizabeth asked, looking to her chief of staff for at least a little bit of affirmation that she wasn't the only one who thought the entire thing was crazy.

But Nadine just shrugged her shoulders and offered her boss an apologetic look before Daisy continued to explain to everyone that dressing up on Halloween was a great idea — especially because they'd scheduled a photo-op with a group of schoolchildren for that day.

According to Daisy, the press would eat it up and of course, anything to bring up the poll numbers was welcome these days. Costumes were to stay minimal and easy to remove at a minute's notice in case any meetings with foreign officials came up. Nonetheless, the seventh floor of the United States Department of State was going to dress up on Halloween.

…

Elizabeth had always liked Halloween: the costumes, the candy and the creativity it brought out in everyone. Back when they lived on the horse farm, and the neighbours called them the "Merry McCords," she and Henry made sure all the trick-or-treaters that stopped by always got the good candy — no weird hard candy or fruit that the dentist down the street liked to hand out.

They also liked to dress up themselves, picking either clever costumes that fit together or going the traditional route — you couldn't go wrong with a pair of cat ears or a skeleton shirt. It was especially fun when the kids were younger and went trick-or-treating themselves, getting all excited about costumes and candy pails and running through the streets hopped up on sugar. Elizabeth and Henry would take shifts, one of them handing out candy at home, the other with the children, switching in the middle to make sure they both got a little bit of rest during the evening.

But now that the kids were all older and their house was surrounded by diplomatic security, Halloween had gotten less exciting. They usually left a bowl of candy with DS to give out in case any children ventured to the house, or one of their own kids would hand it out that night. They still carved pumpkins, setting them out by the doorstep, but elaborate yard displays were a thing of the past.

…

Elizabeth walked through the front door and immediately dropped her briefcase on the floor. She let out a sigh, bent down and pulled off her coat and heels. It was late — again — but when wasn't that the case? She noticed the light was on in the kitchen and made her way over, secretly hoping someone was still up or her family had at least saved her dinner.

She smiled when she reached the kitchen. Henry was sitting at the table with his laptop and a stack of papers that littered the surface. He had poured himself a glass of wine and another empty glass sat on the table, waiting for her to join him. She walked over and he sensed her presence, raising his head and smiling too.

"Hey, I saved you dinner and opened the Cabernet."

"Have I ever told you you're perfect?" She leaned over and pecked his lips, grateful for her ever-considerate husband.

He grinned when she pulled back. "Not often enough."

She laughed and shook her head, before grabbing the leftovers he'd saved for her. A few minutes later, she was sat down next to him at the table and took a bite of her steaming plate of food. It was curry — one of her favourite things he cooked.

"I need a costume for tomorrow," she said matter-of-factly between forkfuls.

"You're dressing up for Halloween?" Henry was confused; he wasn't aware of any party either of them had planned.

"It's all Daisy's fault."

"Aha." Elizabeth had punctuated that last sentence with an eye roll and a dismissive hand gesture, so Henry knew there was some polling or press angle involved in the decision.

"We have a photo op scheduled with some elementary schoolers, and they're coming in costume. So _someone_ spawned the idea of staff dressing up as well."

"It'll be cute, babe." Henry chuckled as he imagined some of his wife's staff dressed up for the holiday, especially those who seemed less _festive_ overall (Nadine came to mind).

"If you're convinced." She let out a huff and took another sip of her wine. "But your enthusiasm — and amusement, might I add — means you're helping me find something to wear, mister."

Fifteen minutes later, Elizabeth and Henry found themselves in the basement, rifling through boxes to find some semblance of a costume. Elizabeth knew in the back of her head that they'd kept at least _some_ of their old decorations and brought them during the move — there were always bound to be emergency situations like this one.

"Jackpot!" Henry yelled from a dark corner, and Elizabeth focused the flashlight on him as she looked for the light switch for the back portion of the basement. When she found it she walked over to Henry who was busy rifling through the box, a broad grin on his face.

"I knew we still had all this stuff!" he said, pulling out a pirate hat and setting it on his head. "Arrr, shiver me timbers!" He closed one eye and made his index finger into a hook for the full effect.

Elizabeth burst out laughing at the sight of her husband, so filled with glee at finding his old pirate hat. She leant over to press a quick kiss to his lips. "It's a good look, Captain," she said, grinning slyly.

"Mhmm." Henry stepped closer to her and wrapped his hooked arm around her middle as he pulled her close for a proper kiss. She arched into him, seeking contact, and wound her arms around his neck, playing with the hair at the nape. His hands traced the small of her back as his tongue did the same to the seam of her lips, wordlessly asking for access. They kissed until they both had to pull apart for air, and stood opposite one another, panting.

"How about the witches hat?" Henry asked, and it took Elizabeth a minute to snap out of the kiss-induced haze and comprehend what he'd just said. He just chuckled, smiling with masculine pride as he pulled the hat out of the box and placed it gently on her head.

"There you go. Costume dilemma solved."

…

Elizabeth and her staff were scheduled to meet in the conference room the next day with their costumes on to make any last-minute adjustments before the children arrived. She pushed open the doors to find Nadine sitting at the table, stoic as ever, albeit with the addition of a pair of black cat ears, a tail and some whiskers. She looked up as Elizabeth entered, nodding.

"Nice hat, ma'am."

"Thank you. Nice ears." Elizabeth had worn all black that day and topped her outfit with a cape and her pointy hat, finished off with a brighter shade of red lipstick than she normally wore.

Matt and Daisy were the next ones to arrive. Daisy wore a red dress and a pair of devil horns, which earned her smirks and laughs from everyone. Matt had used his curly hair to his advantage and dressed as a mad scientist. He wore a bowtie with his regular suit, and had managed to borrow a lab coat and pair of goggles from his friend which hung off his head at a precarious angle.

Then Blake entered in a Count Dracula cape and with a pair of fangs. He hissed and everyone applauded the fact that he was still alive in the light of day.

Now the only one left was Jay, and he seemed nowhere to be found. Just as Blake was about to send out a memo to get him into the conference room, the door opened and Jay burst in, panting.

"I'm sorry I'm late, I completely forgot about this and then I raced home and all the way back and all I could manage to get was this because all that's in my house at the moment is princess costumes and—"

"Whoah there, take a breath slugger." Elizabeth got up and motioned for Jay to sit down. He took a seat and a deep breath, wiping the sweat off his brow.

"Uh, long story short," he managed after a minute, "I have this." He pulled a princess tiara from his bag and gave a sheepish grin.

Everyone broke out into laughter at the glittery crown and Nadine just shook her head. "Well, Madam Secretary, everyone, we have to get going." She stood and gathered her folders and tablet and motioned for everyone to follow her into the reception room.

In the room, about twenty elementary schoolers stood with their teaches, all dressed up and chattering excitedly. The State Department staff entered then, and couldn't suppress broad smiles when they spotted the children. Oh, to be young and innocent all over again, without the worries that came with adulthood, or the jobs they had to do every day.

It turned out the photo op was somehow much needed balm for everyones' soul; it served as a reminder that sometimes, life didn't need to be as serious as the news and world events often painted it to be. They laughed with the kids, posed for silly pictures, and showed them around parts of the State Department — including a "super secret" peek into the Secretary's office, where she sat at her desk in her witch's hat and dutifully posed for a picture.

They left the office that day feeling oddly refreshed, and a little more hopeful about the state of the world.

…

That night, Elizabeth exited the car and smiled as she saw the jack-o-lanterns on her doorstep. She hadn't been able to carve the pumpkins with her family, but she was happy to see they'd remembered anyway. Some traditions needed to be kept.

She pushed the door open and entered the foyer, where a bowl of candy sat on the table surrounded by fake spiderwebs. Slipping off her coat and heels, she grabbed her hat and donned her cape before going to look for her family. She knew they would get a kick out of the fact that she'd been in costume all day — never mind the pictures of her dressed-up staff Blake had emailed to all of them.

Her heart melted at the sight she encountered in the kitchen. All four McCords were sitting on the couch, watching _Halloweentown —_ a family favourite — and eating popcorn and chocolate.

Henry was wearing the pirate hat he'd found the night previous, Stevie's head was covered in gold butterflies — a Snapchat filter of some sort, she vaguely remembered — Alison was still wearing her vampire costume from a party she'd been to earlier and even Jason had joined in on the fun. He was wrapped in toilet paper, clearly meant to be a mummy.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes," she exclaimed, walking over to the couch.

"Mom!" Stevie smiled, nodding with approval at her mother's costume. "The witch hat is great."

"Really suits my personality, no?" Elizabeth quipped before sinking down onto the couch next to Henry, letting out a contented sigh. "Happy Halloween!"

"Happy Halloween indeed," Henry said, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

…

"Hmm, I've gotta say, the witch costume is a turn on," Henry said when they'd closed the door to their bedroom later that night.

"Is it?" Elizabeth smirked and sauntered over to her husband.

"Mmm, the cape and the pointy hat are working for me. Not to mention the lipstick."

"Well, let's see what we can do about that." She captured Henry's lips in a deep kiss, resting her hands on his chest, as he moved closer and his hands roamed her back.

Things got heated quickly, and before long, witch's hats and capes were strewn around the room and Henry and Elizabeth found themselves in a tangle of sheets, sated and spent. They laid in the comfortable silence until Elizabeth remembered the pictures on her phone and shot up with a grin. She giggled and rolled out of bed before Henry could comprehend what was going on. Flummoxed, he just ran a hand over his face, stifling a yawn.

Elizabeth returned with her phone and motioned for Henry to sit up. "Henry, you have _got_ to see these."

She pulled up the pictures of her staff in costume and showed them to Henry, who couldn't help the equally broad grin that appeared on his face or the laughter from seeing Nadine Tolliver in cat ears. "These are gold, babe. Absolutely amazing."

"I particularly love Jay's princess tiara," she said, giggling.

"Ah, to be young and sleep-deprived with a baby girl in the house. Those were the days…" They shared a sweet look then, thinking back to being new parents with Stevie, but quickly started laughing again.

"But babies mean diapers and fussiness and being up all night. Now we get teenagers with cell phones and boyfriends that break up with them over text." Elizabeth sighed, set her phone on the nightstand, turned off the light and finally snuggled back into Henry's embrace.

"Hey, they still all love Halloween." He pressed a kiss to her hair, lingering for a minute.

"Yeah, some things never change. Good night, Captain."

"Good night, babe. I love you and your hat."

"Love you too." They drifted off to sleep as November rolled around, witches, pirates and cobwebs filling their minds.


End file.
